Mayor asks council to consider membership with agency to help city with planning, managementBy Brooke ChambersReporter

DOVER - The Dover City Council made plans Tuesday night at its regular meeting that could make the city a more attractive place to live.

Three months after a visit from Dewayne Pratt of the West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, Mayor Alan Bradley asked the council to consider an annual membership with the grant application and management assistance agency.

"It takes a lot to write grants and do the necessary follow-ups; it's a lot of paperwork," Bradley told the council. "We've already talked to [Pratt], but you need to consider hiring him so we can start getting grants for public improvements. ... We need a lot of work done, and we don't have a lot of money to do it."

Pratt told the council about the benefits of a district membership during its March meeting.

According to its Web site, WCAPDD.dina.org, West Central provides access to the fiscal resources for grants and loans - as well as to the information, management, planning or technical resources - needed to make worthwhile projects become a reality.

The district assists city and county members with community development projects such as infrastructure needs for industry attraction, categorical projects that benefit low-to-moderate income citizens and rural water and wastewater systems.

A sustaining membership would cost the city $1,320 per year. The council voted unanimously to begin working with the district as soon as possible. The council said sidewalks would likely top its list of suggestions for grant opportunities.

Bradley also reminded the council toward the end of the meeting about its April visit from Jim von Tungeln, urban planner with the Arkansas Municipal League, who gave the mayor and aldermen some insight into how they should deal with future growth and development.

Von Tungeln told the council it should decide how the city should be promoted, then a planning commission should be created.

"We have a rocky first start of the year," Bradley said to the council. "I've had a lot of stuff put on me, and I've felt like some personal attacks were made against me. But I want you all to know that I'm doing the best that I can, and I'm a mayor for everybody. ...

"My vision for this city is for people to drive through this city and want to stay here. My vision is for everybody who's a citizen of this city or who lives in the surrounding area and does business in the city to have a say in city government. I want us to be a people-friendly city. ... Everything I do, I try to do for everybody, but I can't make everybody happy. Dover's going to grow; we don't have any choice. So we need a planning commission. It consists of the public, one elected official, ... and we're all going to have to work together."

Following the push from Bradley, the aldermen expressed the city's need for a planning commission and noted it was the mayor's responsibility to appoint the commission members.

"Then I would like to make it known that I am actively looking for volunteers [for the commission] who want to see Dover grow," Bradley said.

In other business

 Rex McDaniel, pyrotechnician who has conducted Dover's fireworks display for the past five years, approached the council for the second time this year concerning the 2007 display. He said he was able to recruit Allen Beasman of Dover to conduct the city's show if the council was interested. McDaniel announced at the May meeting he would be unable to conduct this year's show. The council agreed to McDaniel's suggestion, as well as agreeing to contribute up to $2,500 for the show. A $5,300 total goal has been set for the show.

 Alderman Pat McAlister announced the city park's playground equipment arrived this week and should be installed by Friday. The park will be closed until the equipment is set up.

 The city's annual water and sewer budget was voted into effect and will be made available for public review at city hall during regular office hours. The budgets totaled to $188,171 for water and $212,600 for sewer.

 David Taylor of the Dover Fire Department updated the council on the public relations efforts it has conducted recently. The department also turned in its annual ISO application.